
Waging your residence on the “chance” that it won’t flood in the lifetime of the loan is riskier than you may think. According to the Information Insurance Institute, “90 percent of all natural disasters in the U.S. involve some type of flooding[…]and 20 percent of all flood claims are filed in low to moderate flood risk areas.” You don’t want to chance your place of shelter on the weather. Home damage from floods comes in many forms, including mudslides, water from storm/hurricane damage, broken water mains, faulty drainage systems and snow melt.If there is a flooding incident in your home, you want to guarantee you have funds to bring your home back to its pre-flood condition, and neither Federal Disaster Aid nor homeowner’s insurance is going to cover it. Flood insurance is the only policy that will cover everything you need to get your life back on track post-flood without emptying your bank account. Every policy is different, but flood insurance generally covers appliances, flooring, essential home systems like A/C, personal property and even art.It doesn’t matter if the last flood was a week ago or a thousand years ago, flood insurance is for every homeowner that wants to protect their investment and their home.

Family is everything and it pains us when we are unable to help family in need, whether it be with the right words to say, financially or with a place to live. You won’t always have the answers to help a loved one, but what if there was a way you could help with housing?
Believe it or not, there’s a mortgage product called a Family Opportunity Loan that allows family to buy a home for their children attending college, disabled adult children or elderly parents.
You still need to qualify for both your own home and the home for the family opportunity loan, but the second property will not be viewed as an investment property, which requires a higher down payment (often 20-30 percent) and has higher interest rates. Depending on your specific financial situation, a Family Opportunity Loan often requires as little as 5 percent down.
You and your family member will need to meet certain criteria to qualify for a Family Opportunity Loan. Specific requirements vary by area, but you must provide documentation proving the family member cannot afford a mortgage on their own and the property must be the primary residence of the family member you took out the loan for.
An experienced mortgage lender will have the specific details for a Home Opportunity Loan in your area. There’s always a way to give back to family if you look hard enough. Could a Family Opportunity Loan be your way to give back?